Effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on molar development among non-resistant inbred strains of mice: a geometric morphometric analysis.

Prenatal development is highly sensitive to the effects of environmental contaminants. 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an environmental toxicant that at very low levels causes teratogenic effects such as irregular tooth development. Variations in susceptibility to TCDD's effects have been attributed primarily to differences at the Ahr locus.

Does the use of nicotine replacement therapy during pregnancy affect pregnancy outcomes?

Objectives: Although nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) may assist with smoking cessation, little is known about the safety of NRT use during pregnancy. Our purpose was two-fold: to determine characteristics of women prescribed or recommended NRT during pregnancy and to investigate whether NRT prescription/recommendation was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes using data from the 2004 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.

Methods: Smoking and NRT referral was self-reported by 5,716 women.

Testosterone reduces macrophage expression in the mouse of toll-like receptor 4, a trigger for inflammation and innate immunity.

Though gender-based differences in the development of protective or pathological adaptive host responses have been widely noted, it is becoming apparent that sex may also influence the early perception of microbial challenges and the generation of inflammatory immune responses. These differences may be due to the actions of reproductive hormones, and such a hypothesis is supported by the presence of receptors for these hormones in a variety of immune cell types. Androgens such as testosterone have been shown to decrease immune functions, including cytokine production.

The effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on molar and mandible traits in congenic mice: a test of the role of the Ahr locus.

2,3,7,8-Tetracholorodibenzo-p-dioxin is a highly toxic substance that can cause a variety of adverse effects on organisms. While it has been shown that TCDD acts mainly through the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), the mechanism of toxicity is not completely clear. To test the role of the AHR in mediating the effects of TCDD, we exposed two congenic strains of mice differing only at the Ahr locus (Ahr(b)/Ahr(b) and Ahr(d)/Ahr(d)) to TCDD (0, 0.

Qualitative effects of dioxin on molars vary among inbred mouse strains.

Objective: We evaluated the effects of different levels of the potent environmental toxicant and teratogen, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), on molar development in mice in six inbred strains, all with TCDD responsive Ahr alleles.

Design: Pregnant females were exposed on gestation day 13 to 4 different levels of TCDD (control, 0.01, 0.